RALLY star Guy Wilks has thanked medical staff who helped him get back on track after a spectacular accident.

The Darlington driver, who is to defend his Rally of Scotland title next weekend with the Skoda UK Motorsport team, suffered a setback in June when he crashed out of the Sardinian round of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge, breaking two vertebrae in his spine.

After the accident Wilks underwent treatment in an oxygen chamber at the Multiple Sclerosis Therapy Centre in Middlesbrough and, as a result, is now back behind the wheel.

Grateful for the care he received, Skoda has donated £500 to the centre, on the Skippers Lane Industrial Estate.

■ The Northern Echo’s motorsport writer Matt Westcott will be following Wilks’ challenge in Scotland.

See next week’s newspaper for a full preview.